Looking for John Grisham books in order? I’d start with the full publication-order list because Grisham’s bibliography is bigger and more varied than people expect: legal thrillers, courtroom dramas, middle grade mysteries, short stories, non-fiction, sports novels, Christmas comedy, and several returning characters.
The heavy hitters are obvious: A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, and The Rainmaker. But the fun of reading Grisham is seeing how much range there is beyond those famous legal thrillers, from Jake Brigance and Mitch McDeere to Theodore Boone, Camino Island, and his wrongful-conviction non-fiction.
Jump to:
- John Grisham Books in Publication Order
- John Grisham Series in Order
- John Grisham Standalone Books
- John Grisham Non-Fiction and Short Works
- John Grisham Book-to-Screen Adaptations
John Grisham Books in Publication Order
This is the main John Grisham reading list: novels, series books, short stories, novella collections, and non-fiction in publication order.
- A Time to Kill (1989)
- The Firm (1991)
- The Pelican Brief (1992)
- The Client (1993)
- The Chamber (1994)
- The Rainmaker (1995)
- The Runaway Jury (1996)
- The Partner (1997)
- The Street Lawyer (1998)
- The Testament (1999)
- The Brethren (2000)
- A Painted House (2001)
- Skipping Christmas (2001)
- The Summons (2002)
- The King of Torts (2003)
- Bleachers (2003)
- The Last Juror (2004)
- The Broker (2005)
- The Innocent Man (2006) (Non-fiction)
- Playing for Pizza (2007)
- The Appeal (2008)
- The Associate (2009)
- Ford County: Stories (2009) (Short Story Collection)
- The Confession (2010)
- Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (2010)
- The Litigators (2011)
- Theodore Boone: The Abduction (2011)
- The Racketeer (2012)
- Theodore Boone: The Accused (2012)
- Calico Joe (2012)
- Sycamore Row (2013)
- Theodore Boone: The Activist (2013)
- Gray Mountain (2014)
- Theodore Boone: The Fugitive (2015)
- Rogue Lawyer (2015)
- Theodore Boone: The Scandal (2016)
- Partners (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
- Witness to a Trial (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
- The Whistler (2016)
- The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller (2016) (Novella)
- The Rooster Bar (2017)
- Camino Island (2017)
- The Reckoning (2018)
- The Guardians (2019)
- Theodore Boone: The Accomplice (2019)
- A Time for Mercy (2020)
- Camino Winds (2020)
- The Judge’s List (2021)
- Sooley (2021)
- Sparring Partners (2022) (Novella Collection)
- The Boys from Biloxi (2022)
- The Exchange: After the Firm (2023)
- Camino Ghosts (2024)
- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions (2024) (with Jim McCloskey, Non-fiction)
- The Widow (2025)
- The French Illusion (2026)
- Shaken: The Rush to Execute an Innocent Man (2027) (Non-fiction)
John Grisham Series in Order
These are the recurring characters and settings I’d read together. Grisham is still mostly a standalone author, but these connected books reward reading in order.
Jake Brigance Books
Jake Brigance is Grisham’s best recurring lawyer and the heart of his Ford County courtroom books. Start with A Time to Kill, then follow Jake through the later cases in publication order.
- A Time to Kill (1989)
- Sycamore Row (2013)
- A Time for Mercy (2020)
- Homecoming (in Sparring Partners) (2022) (Novella)
Mitch McDeere and The Firm Books
Mitch McDeere’s story begins with The Firm, Grisham’s first massive hit. The Exchange brings Mitch and Abby back years later, older, richer, and still very capable of getting pulled into danger.
- The Firm (1991)
- The Exchange: After the Firm (2023)
Theodore Boone Books
The Theodore Boone books are Grisham’s middle grade legal mysteries. They’re aimed at younger readers, but they still have the courtroom DNA that makes the adult novels work.
- Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (2010)
- Theodore Boone: The Abduction (2011)
- Theodore Boone: The Accused (2012)
- Theodore Boone: The Activist (2013)
- Theodore Boone: The Fugitive (2015)
- Theodore Boone: The Scandal (2016)
- Theodore Boone: The Accomplice (2019)
Sebastian Rudd and Rogue Lawyer Books
Sebastian Rudd is Grisham’s rougher, messier kind of lawyer: streetwise, cynical, and usually surrounded by clients nobody else wants.
- Rogue Lawyer (2015)
- Partners (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
Lacy Stoltz and The Whistler Books
Lacy Stoltz works judicial misconduct cases, which gives these books a slightly different flavor from Grisham’s standard courtroom thrillers. Witness to a Trial is a short prequel, but I’d still read it before The Whistler.
- Witness to a Trial (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
- The Whistler (2016)
- The Judge’s List (2021)
Camino Island Books
The Camino Island books are Grisham at his most relaxed: booksellers, writers, rare manuscripts, hurricanes, old secrets, and a Florida island that keeps pulling trouble toward it.
- Camino Island (2017)
- Camino Winds (2020)
- Camino Ghosts (2024)
John Grisham Standalone Books
Grisham’s standalone novels fall into two natural groups: the legal thrillers that made him famous and the non-legal books that show his range outside the courtroom.
Standalone Legal Thrillers
These are the standalone legal thrillers and courtroom-driven novels that made Grisham famous. You can read them in any order, but publication order is the cleanest way to watch his style evolve.
- The Pelican Brief (1992)
- The Client (1993)
- The Chamber (1994)
- The Rainmaker (1995)
- The Runaway Jury (1996)
- The Partner (1997)
- The Street Lawyer (1998)
- The Testament (1999)
- The Brethren (2000)
- The Summons (2002)
- The King of Torts (2003)
- The Last Juror (2004)
- The Broker (2005)
- The Appeal (2008)
- The Associate (2009)
- The Confession (2010)
- The Litigators (2011)
- The Racketeer (2012)
- Gray Mountain (2014)
- The Rooster Bar (2017)
- The Guardians (2019)
- The Boys from Biloxi (2022)
- The Widow (2025)
Non-Legal Standalones
Grisham is best known for legal thrillers, but some of his most interesting books step away from the courtroom. This is where you’ll find the baseball novels, the football books, the Christmas comedy, and his newer international thriller.
- A Painted House (2001)
- Skipping Christmas (2001)
- Bleachers (2003)
- Playing for Pizza (2007)
- Calico Joe (2012)
- The Reckoning (2018)
- Sooley (2021)
- The French Illusion (2026)
John Grisham Non-Fiction and Short Works
Grisham’s shorter work and non-fiction are essential for completionists. The non-fiction is especially important because it sits right beside the outrage at the heart of his best legal fiction.
John Grisham Non-Fiction Books
Grisham’s non-fiction keeps circling back to wrongful convictions and the brutal failures of the justice system. These books sit beside the novels because they explain a lot about the outrage underneath his best legal fiction.
- The Innocent Man (2006) (Non-fiction)
- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions (2024) (with Jim McCloskey, Non-fiction)
- Shaken: The Rush to Execute an Innocent Man (2027) (Non-fiction)
John Grisham Short Stories and Novellas
Grisham does not have a huge short-fiction bibliography, but these shorter works matter if you’re trying to read everything.
- Ford County: Stories (2009) (Short Story Collection)
- Partners (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
- Witness to a Trial (2016) (Short Story Prequel)
- The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller (2016) (Novella)
- Sparring Partners (2022) (Novella Collection)
John Grisham Book-to-Screen Adaptations
Grisham’s 1990s run was so hot that Hollywood adapted the books almost as fast as he could publish them. The Firm and The Pelican Brief both hit theaters in 1993, followed by The Client in 1994, A Time to Kill and The Chamber in 1996, and The Rainmaker in 1997.
Runaway Jury followed in 2003, while A Painted House became a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie and Skipping Christmas turned into the holiday comedy Christmas with the Kranks.
The TV side is worth knowing too. The Client had a CBS series in the 1990s, The Firm returned as a sequel series in 2012, The Innocent Man became a Netflix documentary series in 2018, and The Rainmaker was adapted again as a USA Network series in 2025.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.
35 thoughts on “John Grisham Books in Order: All 50+ Books & Series”
Just started your books. Love them!
Question? What became of Jakes Smallwwood case? How much did he make? Did Drew get another trial after the hung jury?
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to help you there. I’m not John Grisham or anyone associated with him. I did try to do some research on the topic for you, but could not find any additional information as to what happens to Drew after the trial “concludes” in the book.
I think the author intends for us to fill in the blanks. The TV show, Bull, does this a lot, too. The primary crisis is averted, and we are to assume that there is another trial, but with the primary penalty or biggest danger past, we can assume that anything else that happens is more desirable by characters involved and thus a “happy ending” if you will.
I’m trying to remember the name of his book that was about the nursing home that was giving drugs to the patients to keep them alive so they could continue to make money. The main character worked in the home. Do you know the name of this book by JG? Thank you!
I love John Grisham books and I’m trying to read them all.
He is a prolific writer!
I started reading Alex Cross series in order on Jan 1st, 2022.
John Grisham is next. My sister is sending the series to me.
Both excellent series/books to read. Enjoy!
You will enjoy them all. I have read until I am begging for more books. Waiting for new release. Grisham is the best of legalese.
Love John’s story. I pretty much has everyone. It is a good gift list for family to me 🙂
Hi,
Hope you and family are fine.
Thanks for the list. I am big fan as the first book I read in 90’s was The Firm. Got me hooked on Grisham wagon 😁.
Many I have not read so thanks once again.
Take care and be safe.
Love his books and was happy to see he started doing mini series as his writing leaves me wondering what happened to the lawyer in every book. Catherine Coulter also has 2 seties, one involving the US FBI husbsnd and wife team, and another about a Brit in the FBI. They are as addicting as James Pattersons Alex Cross.
Great fan of Grisham. Read 37 out of his 40 books. Love the way he writes. Never know how the story ends. Love also Patterson’s books with Alex Cross, great thrillers. Keeps you reading all night long.
So easy to read. I have read all of them and have pre-ordered Oct. 2022 book already. Any writing by him has to be good.
I agree! John Grisham is such a great writer.
I also love Grisham novels, gets me hooked first paragraph. However I’m near the end of Sparing Partners and realized it’s three different cases. Should have read the info about the book before I bought it. Stories leave you wondering.
I have read all of John’s books, in the order described by this web site…when will we see more of his great stories?
As of this writing, the next book to come out is The Boys from Biloxi, slated to release in October 2022.
I loved reading from a very tender age. Read every Mills & boon there was then went to Daniel steel.then every thing else. I stopped reading because I came to a point where every book was like the same to me. Until 1997 when I got hold of A TIME TO KILL..This was the best book I had read. L.S.S. Today am just waiting for his next book.
Thanks John Grisham for renewing my love for reading.
I only started John Grishm books because my mother asked me to read the first 3 pages because she knew I would have to find out the end Jihn Grisham’s book The Testament. Mom was right, I could not even think about any else until finished that book. Not sure if it has been made into a movie yet but think it is one of his best works.
Hello, I just read my first John Grisham book, The Guardians! Very good! Loved the story and the style! Now I need to read the next one? Which one would you suggest next? Thank you!
Awesome! You’re in for a treat getting to work through John Grisham’s books for the first time.
Every book he has written just pick one you won’t be disappointed
like everybody else on the replies i was hooked when i read a time to kill. the most recent was time of mercy
I’m obsessed with the Clanton stories. I would love it if there’d be a Telly series with that setting. I’ve read all of his legal novels. Brilliant, just brilliant.
I love reading John Grisham’s books and have read almost all of them and am looking forward to the next ones, I hope they will be soon as I am fast marching on to celebrate my 93rd birthday.Billie Jo Odom
He’s releasing a sequel to The Firm in October of this year. Hope you enjoy it!
I was reading Grisham when I was younger, going to college. I stopped when working. I am starting again from the beginning today because I have a lot of time on my hand due to a disability. I am sure I will have plenty of time to start at the beginning and make to the end. He is awesome and my favorite.
I thought I had read all of his books except the most current few; however, in checking my list, I have missed just a few. I love reading his books. They are ones you do not want to lay down.
I am looking for a book by john grisham about the Amazon pantanel. It was super and I want to read it again.
I REALY LIKE HIS BOOKS AND WOULD READ MORE OF THEM.
The Testament
Love his books
2023 New Year’s resolution was to read all John Grisham books. Had read five prior to 2023. Only five more to read. I have counted 52 books. Hope I haven’t missed any. (Not counting Theodore books).
I have read them all and was somewhat disappointed with the latest The Exchange – predictable and spent way too much time on Mitch & Abby’s story from The Firm one of his best and close to the best he wrote.
I read a John Grisham book about his own miserable basketball career and I cannot find it listed or recall the name. Was it The Losing Season or….? It’s not Sooley.